Former ambassador Sam Pee Yalley has said that the problems brought up by the leaked audio about Bugri Naabu and other high-ranking Police officers should not be dismissed but rather handled seriously.
He asserted that, regrettably, the constitution gave the President an excessive amount of control over appointments; because, in his opinion, all IGPs prior to the current IGP, had not encountered such difficulties.
“How on earth could one reduce what is happening concerning the IGP to be a beauty contest of people, making themselves attractive to be appointed? How do you trivialize such a matter? What are we dealing with? We are dealing with the Ghana Police Service for Christ’s sake. What is the basis for the engagement between Bugri Naabu and the rest of the Police people? ‘That this IGP will not play ball with us, going to 2024 and that if he is the IGP, we will lose the 2024 elections.’
“That was the prime motive of Bugri Naabu, even trying to record them. Thus, according to the revelations that is coming from the committee set up. And for two or three other Senior Police Officers to be engaged in such conspiracies, it’s like a coup d’état to remove a statutory office holder like the IGP on the grounds that he is not seen to be an NPP member.”
Sam Pee Yalley
According to Mr. Yalley, the functions that the security agencies perform during elections are well known. He stated; “We were going to Kumawu and the IGP said ‘you politicians can do anything but not security’. So, the elections will not break down on the grounds that the security wasn’t given to us. Why? That is his policy. Then NPP won Kumawu alright.”
Furthermore, he added that during the Assin North By-Election, the NPP was also aware that the Constituency was a stronghold of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) because Gyakye Quayson previously held it.
Therefore, he asserted that what occurred in Ayawaso West Wuogun would have also occurred in Assin North Constituency, if the IGP had not played his cards wisely by failing to dispatch adequate security officers to the constituency.
“And we all know the scar of Ayawaso West Wuogon on our electoral processes. We know what happened when 8 innocent young Ghanaians went to participate in our democracy. So, this IGP took a position that ‘look, you can do anything but I won’t compromise security’. Is it his crime?”
Sam Pee Yalley
NDC Lost Kumawu Because Of IGP’s Behavior
Sam Pee Yalley asserted that after hearing the audio recording of the IGP’s removal, he was convinced that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lost the Kumawu by-elections as a result of the IGP’s actions.
“I was at Assin when their (NPP) General Secretary and others were complaining. I was at Assin and saw the vehicles of some of the NDC people attacked; our National Youth Organizer. Yet, nobody at the strongholds of the NPP attacked anyone. Because we believe that it doesn’t take violence to win an election. So, we have an IGP who says that ‘No, I won’t allow this violence to take place.’
“We even reported this but I don’t know why the IGP has not taken up the matter, even though we have pictures and videos of it. You know that we deal with evidence. So, if you want to give evidence about violence in Assin’s by-election, the only reference would be the attack on the NDC’s people. Because nobody as at this time, has said that one single NPP man was slapped during the voting.”
Sam Pee Yalley
He claimed that the Commissioners who wanted to become the IGP, plotted to have him ousted in order to install a “pro-NPP” individual as the new IGP. He affirmed that this is the source of the issue.
According to him, no Police Commissioner has the right to work with other Commissioners to sabotage the nomination of the IGP, till the Constitution on the appointment of the IGP by the President is changed. Considering that the IGP stands in for the Ghana Police Service, he claimed that anyone who did that was being disloyal and had committed treason.
Additionally, he stated that although these Commissioners have taken an oath to uphold the honor and integrity of the Ghana Police, they are actually working together for their own political goals to become the IGP, as well as for their own personal gain.
“I think that now that the committee has started, they should interdict those Police Officers who were in the tape. At first, I thought it was Bugri Naabu as usual but now the truth is out. They had the interest of the NPP at hand.”
Sam Pee Yalley
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